Better than Albuquerque, but not by much
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3/11/2006
Rio Rancho is a better city than Albuquerque, but by no means is it perfect. First of all, the teacher-student ratio is WRONG! It's more like 24:1! All of the schools in the district are overcrowded. The superintendent is short-sighted and is more interested in lobbying the legislature in Santa Fe than running the district.
Rio Rancho has the worst voter apathy in the state. Only 18% of registered voters voted in the last municipal election, 3/7/06. Police officers, fire fighters and emergency workers are all over-worked. There are not enough to handle the explosive growth in Rio Rancho.
Developers can build as many houses as they want and are not required to build schools, donate land for schools or provide any infrastructure. The impact fees the city charges are laughable! It's not nearly enough to cover the number of people moving into town.
Overall, Rio Rancho is getting too big too fast. The city council is pretty ineffective in governing the city and the mayor's position is largely ceremonial.
Keep in mind that New Mexico has the largest drunk driving problem in the country. You are more likely to be hit and killed by a drunk driver here than anywhere else!
Judith | Rio Rancho, NM